Excess taxation has consequences for the working single-mother who can’t go to work and earn a wage to feed her children; for the teenage girl who cannot attend school every week of the month; for the college student who has to decide between rent or food or going to class; for all women who are told that necessities to effectively navigate life are unnecessary simple luxuries; for the human rights of all women, and therefore, we, the college students of Georgia, petition the government of the state of Georgia to exempt feminine hygiene products from the luxury sales tax so women may go to school, go to work, and go live their lives. We ask that our government will no longer keep women’s quality of life hostage of the state.

We acknowledge that the government has passed a provision allowing for low-income areas to receive feminine hygiene products for free, but this program is not widely accessible nor does it address the nature of defining feminine hygiene products inaccurately as "luxury items" subject to excess taxes, a tax that affects only half the population. This is the very definition of gender discrimination. This tax is a steady source of income for the government at the expense of women who cannot refuse to pay this tax without sacrificing their quality of life. We ask that our congress will consider the wellbeing of the women of Georgia before they consider how much they will lose in tax revenue. 

In our past and present, talk of menstruation was unheard of and so were the qualms of women. This unjust tax has persisted because people find it taboo to talk about menstruation. We ask that congress will remember that menstrual cycles are just normal biological processes that should be considered as important as all other health aspects. We ask our congress to look past their discomfit for the sake of women’s needs.

As the college students and future leaders of the state of Georgia, we ask our government to hear us as we exercise our rights in this democracy to be active in our government. We ask the exemption of feminine hygiene products from the sales tax and an equal and fair chance for every woman in Georgia to go to school, to go to work, and to go live their lives knowing that their government supports them with fair taxation rather than unfair gender-focused taxation. We do this with the only goal being the rights of all humans regardless of our genders, sexual orientations, races, ages, and political orientations. We are quite simply the students of Georgia asking our government to hear us as we approach our future with confidence in our generation.